She had lived a life that wasn't her own. Every decision was made for her. At the end of the day though, she was still the one with the blood on her hands. To have the weight of abuse on your back is miserable. Especially when you're falling in love...
My new home luckily isn't too far from the clinic. The place has a few basic furnishing but, is otherwise pretty bare even with my belongings. Still, I'm grateful to have my own space. It's a cabin-Esque property overgrown with ivy. Vines even crept up the side of the cobblestone chimney the spill over the roof. Though I rather liked the way that the dark green of leaves contrasted against the warmth of the wood. I feel that this place could someday feel like my home.
I figure with the events of the day that no one will mind if don't show at the clinic or animal shelter. Instead, I decide to spend the day pulling weeds. The Sun is hot on my back as I work. The late summer heat is unrelenting causing sweat to pour down my face. I can hear Dr. Azure scolding in my head about the state of my bandages and chuckle at the thought. The work feels cathartic. It's nice not having to think about things. I decide to leave all the vines as they are. I survey my yard considering the space I have to work with.
"Hey what are you doing?", I turn to see Yanis holding my forgotten bike.
"Hello", I call walking over to her. I lean against the fence closest to her.
"Where did you go last night?", she asks.
I gesture over to my house, "I was handling some things". She nods before turning her face down.
"Why won't you let me in?", she asks.
"What do you mean?".
"You didn't tell me I was your mate, you didn't tell me about your mom, and now this", she waves her hand gesturing towards me and my new home.
"I'm sorry", I tell her, "I just don't know how".
She looks up into my eyes, "you don't have to be alone". She leans forward until she's inches from my face. I see her glance down at my lips and I know that this time she wants me to close the distance. I lean in and her lips are against mine. It's even better than the first time. Now when I kiss her nothing is holding me back. I pour all my pent-up emotions into the kiss. I want her to feel all the want I've held for her from the day we met. She pulls away panting slightly. A blush tints my cheeks as I look at her.
"Would you like to come in?", I ask gesturing to my house. She nods and follows me to the gate and towards my house. I take the bike from her hands to lean up against the side of the house before opening the door for her. I follow after her. I watch as she looks around my home feeling a bit self-conscious now in its emptiness.
"I like it", she says, "it's simple". She walks over to the couch that was left behind by this place's former inhabitants.
"Can we talk", she asks, "like a real talk".
I come to sit next to her, "what do you want to know?".
"Everything".
I sigh, "my dad left when I was a kid, I don't know how or why or if he's even alive. My mom would never tell me what happened to him but, I have my guesses. After he left my mom fell apart. Losing her mate made her too mentally unwell to do anything. I think she envied all the time I spent with him before he left. She started pushing me to seek power young. She particularly wanted me to end up with Alpha Will. When we were kids though, everyone already thought that he and Hope were going to be mates. So, when Hope's parents died she fed me all the right things to do and say to turn them against each other. Everyone was so busy when we were kids and when we lost our Betas things got worse. It was Will that did all those terrible things to Hope but, I was the catalyst". Yanis pulls me against her shoulder when I begin to cry but, I don't stop.
"Still, no matter what I did Will wouldn't have me and my mother hated it. She started to abuse and shame me as punishment for not being enough. She told me that God hated me for failing my parents. I begged her to understand that Will only wanted his mate but, she wouldn't hear it. She made me get rid of anything she didn't think he would find attractive. All I was allowed to be was pretty", I tell her.
I pause a moment to wipe my eyes before continuing, "When Hope rejected him I thought that maybe I'd have a chance. Despite everything that had happened between them he still only wanted her. I tried everything to make him forget about her in favor of me. It never worked. My mother was harder on me than ever before. 'she doesn't even want him and you still can't beat her' she'd say. Then one day I pushed too hard and Will hurt me. I thought I was going to die and I was even happy at thought of getting to leave. Then, Hope saved me. She saved me after everything I put her through. That girl was destined to be a Luna. Then, she left and Will lost his mind. Even when she was long gone and he was insane he still wouldn't look at me".
"Most everyone hates me now for the role I played in the lost Luna and fallen Alpha. It's a lot easier to direct hate at me than it is an Alpha. My mother soaks up all the attention she's gotten, 'the poor woman with the lost mate and the sinner daughter'. She's only gotten worse since Hope disappeared", I say.
"I don't hate you", she says. I stare at her through tearful eyes. She pulls me into her lap. It's odd for a human to be taller and stronger than a wolf but, I guess we're the outliers. I straddle her thighs and her hands come up to hold my face.
"I could never hate you", that her lips again find mine. My hands find their way to her shoulders and I pull myself tighter against her. One hand slips itself from my cheek to the back of my neck being careful not to press against any burns. Her other hand goes to the small of my back. Her lips leave mine as they start to trail down my neck. I gasp when she finds her way to a certain spot on my neck.
"Be careful things are different for us", I say.
"I've heard a bit about marking", she says, "is there where yours would go?". Surprised I nod. She returns to the spot kissing it gently. She continues down to my collar bones before in one swift motion pulling my shirt over my head. I gasp at the suddenness of her action and her mouth captures mine once again. Her hands explore my exposed skin. Fingers delicately trace my waist before palms press to my abdomen. Her thumbs hooks under my bra to trace the underside of my breasts. She reaches around to unhook my bra and I allow the straps to fall down my shoulders.
Overcome with my desire to have more of her I pull us to lay down with her on top of me. She continues her exploration of my chest abut, slides one hand back down my abdomen. Her fingers press under my jeans teasing me. I know she's about to undo them and I suddenly feel very naked. I reach up to pull her shirt off, she pauses a moment to allow me. In return, she pulls my jeans down my legs. I am left in only my panties and soon those are gone too. She pulls me to her when we're done. I feel the safest I ever have in her arms.
"What were you doing yard work for?", she asks me her voice heavy with sleep.
"I think I want to plant an orange tree".
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